I’ve been thinking of how to go about a hack for Apocalypse World (or Dungeon World, I’ve been milling between the two). It had occurred to me that the best place to build a foundation is on top of the play books. From there, one can slowly change elements they would like to change during the course of play.
Does anyone else have wisdom in terms of hacking Apocalypse World or any other world?
I’d say start with what you think AW and it’s hacks don’t do that you want it to. Think about what you want the experience to feel like and what types of themes your interested. If those themes and/or experiences are not done to satisfaction by another hack, then you have a good idea of what your after. If you realize that what your doing has been done then look at that system, look at what makes it successful and where it breaks down.
I’d consider base moves first. From the base moves, you see what kind of conflicts will be relevant to your game. In AW, you’re trying to get stuff (via violence or manipulation or sex) and understand people. In DW you’re exploring places and battling monsters.
What is it you want to do in your game? I think playbooks should come after that.
Start with Simple World.
http://buriedwithoutceremony.com/simple-world/
It’s a framework for building your own *World game.
Next, check out what other games have been made using the system: Monsterhearts, The Regiment, Monster of the Week, Tremulus, Sagas of the Icelanders, Murderous Ghosts. And take a look at other hacks people have already started or completed: World of Algol, Undying, and everything relevant that you find on Barth Forth Apocalyptica’s Hacks forum: http://apocalypse-world.com/forums/index.php#4
Orion Cooper I’m having the same problems writing my own hack. It’s not so simple and it’s not matter of short time. One thing on which you may consider to work at first is the setting. Which are the elements that make your setting different from Apocalypse World (or DW or both) and in which terms you can render them through base moves (as Alberto Muti said)? For example, in AW the main theme is scarcity, so characters (playing or not) are constantly threaten by lack of things: food, safety, etc. What main characters will do in order to face these threats? Kill, steal, deceive, betray, etc. Which are the obstacles to these means? Landscape, warlords, grotesques and so on.
Ask yourself questions like these and give them answers, so you can conceptually shaping your hack. Wrapping up all together is quite difficult and it’s hard for me too in this moment. In fact, for now, my hack is abandoned in the meanders of my computer’s archives. 🙂
Tim Jensen has it. Build the game using Joe Mcdaldno ‘s simple world first.
Then, play it with a select group of people and use custom moves to make the game do what you want it to.
Rinse, repeat refine. (This is about how far I’ve got with my game. I guess the next step is to start writing something)
This is a must-read before hacking the AW engine. http://www.lumpley.com/comment.php?entry=594